"Look! look! my _gars_, down there! down there!
Don't you see the infernal band?
Spread out, spread out, surprise them there,
Behind the gorse, across the land.
Spread out! I say, my _gars!_ my _gars!_
Await the Blues with steady hand."
Courte-Joie got no farther. After a moment of surprised silence at his
first words a roar of indignation arose; ten soldiers sprang upon him
and the sergeant, seizing him by the collar, threw him on the ground.
"Villain!" he cried, "I'll teach you to come here in our midst and
sing praises to your brigands."
But before the words were well out of his mouth (words to which he
added a variety of adverbs that were customary with him) Trigaud, his
eyes flashing with anger, made his way through to Courte-Joie, pushed
back the sergeant and stood before his comrade in so threatening an
attitude that the soldiers remained for some moments silent and
uncertain.
But soon, mortified at being held at bay by an unarmed man, they drew
their sabres, and rushed upon the beggars.
"Kill them! kill them!" they cried; "they are Chouans!"
"You asked me for a song; I warned you that the songs I knew were not
to your taste," cried Courte-Joie, in a voice that rose high above the
tumult. "You ought not to have insisted. Why do you complain?"
"If you only knew such songs as you have just sung you are a rebel,
and I arrest you peremptorily."
"I know such songs as please the people of the towns and villages
whose alms are my living. A poor cripple like me and an idiot like my
comrade can't be dangerous. Arrest us if you choose; but such captures
won't do you any honor."
"That may be," replied the sergeant, "but meantime you'll sleep in the
lock-up. You were puzzled where to go for a night's lodging, my fine
fellow; well, I'll give you one. Come, men, seize and search them, and
let us lock them up incontinently."
But, as Trigaud still maintained a threatening attitude, no one
hastened to execute the sergeant's order.
"If you don't go with a good grace," said the latter, "I'll send for
some loaded muskets, and we will see if your skin is bullet-proof."
"Come, Trigaud, my lad," said Courte-Joie, "if we must resign
ourselves, we must; besides, it can't matter, they won't detain us
long. Their fine prisons are not built for poor devils like us."
"That's right," said the sergeant, much pleased at the pacific turn
the affair was taking. "You will be searched, and if nothing
suspicious is found upon you, and you behave properly during the
night, we'll see about letting you out to-morrow morning."
The two beggars were searched, but nothing was found upon them except
a few copper coins; which confirmed the sergeant in his ideas of
clemency.
"After all," he said, pointing to Trigaud, "that great ox is not
guilty; I see no reason why I should lock him up."
"If you do," said the Limousin, "he might take it into his head, like
his forefather Samson, to shake the walls and bring them down about
our ears."
"You are right, Pinguet," said the sergeant, "because that's my
opinion, too. We should only embarrass ourselves by holding the pair.
Come, off with you, friend, and quick too!"
"Oh! my good monsieur, don't separate us," cried Courte-Joie, in a
tearful voice. "We can't do without each other; he walks for me, and I
think for him."
"Upon my word," said a soldier, "they are worse than lovers."
"No," said the sergeant to Courte-Joie. "I shall make you pass the
night in the dungeon to punish you, and tomorrow the officer of the
day will decide what is to be done with your carcass. Come, to the
cellar!"
Two soldiers approached Courte-Joie; but he with an agility not to be
expected in so helpless a body, sprang upon Trigaud's shoulders, and
the giant walked peacefully along toward the door of the dungeon,
under escort of the soldiers.
On the way Aubin put his lips close to the ear of his comrade and said
some words in a low voice. Trigaud deposited his master at the
cellar-door, through which the sergeant thrust the cripple, who made
his entrance by rolling forward like an enormous ball.
The soldiers then took Trigaud outside the courtyard gate, which they
closed behind him. The giant stood for a few moments motionless and
bewildered, as if he did not know what course to decide upon. He tried
at first to sit down on the rollers, where, as we have seen, the
soldiers took their siesta. But the sentry made him understand that
that was impossible, and the beggar departed in the direction of the
village of Saint-Colombin.